Food Protection Trends - September/October 2022 - 360

COMMENTARY
FROM YOUR PRESIDENT Michelle D. Danyluk
Resilient. It's a word I've heard and
used more in the past two and a half years
than in the sum of my previous lifetime.
It's been used to describe people: you-
my colleagues and students; companies;
institutions; supply chains; so many
different things. Merriam-Webster's
dictionary defines it as either " capable of
withstanding shock without permanent
deformation or rupture " and " tending to
recover from or adjust easily to misfortune
or change. " If you're at all like me, you're probably tired of this word.
The ongoing pandemic has changed the way we look at so many things:
the things we used to take for granted, and especially things we barely
noticed before. Times of great upheavals allow for reflection-and have
the potential to bring tremendous positive changes.
Having served on the Executive Board now for more than three
years, I can say with certainty that IAFP is a resilient organization.
David and the staff deserve all the recognition for keeping the
organization moving forward and taking advantage of the opportunity
to undertake intensive long-term planning that will result in what
I know will be numerous positive changes for IAFP In the future.
A number of these changes will be highlighted at the Annual Meeting,
and I'd like to give you my take on some of them now.
Changes in JFP. You may have seen the notice that there are
changes coming to JFP. It's moving to Elsevier and will be open access.
I have heard concerns from academics about this move, and I want
to assure you I was the biggest skeptic when it was proposed. In the
end I was convinced it's the best move for us and am 100% behind it.
The fact that we can put our peer-reviewed science into the hands of
industry immediately to support data-driven decision-making is long
overdue. I know some of you are concerned about publication costs.
Take some time to look into the publication cost for members; I assure
you it's not as high as you think. The Foundation Committee is also
looking into offering solutions to offset a cost increase.
Foundation Initiatives. The Foundation has a new goal to reach
Take some time to look into the publication cost for members; I assure
you it's not as high as you think. The Foundation Committee is also
looking into offering solutions to offset a cost increase.
Foundation Initiatives. The Foundation has a new goal to reach
$4 million by the 40th year of the Foundation in 2024. Under this new
fundraising initiative comes a number of proposed initiatives to benefit
members and the association. One of those initiatives that is personally
important to me is support for dependent care for meeting attendees.
The Foundation Committee is in discussions with the JFP Management
Committee around impacts of the move towards open access, and how
the Foundation can help support authors publishing in the journal,
especially authors in countries with developing economies. Other
exciting opportunities are also under discussion, and you'll hear more
about them in the future.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. Bylaw changes proposed
$4 million by the 40th year of the Foundation in 2024. Under this new
fundraising initiative comes a number of proposed initiatives to benefit
members and the association. One of those initiatives that is personally
important to me is support for dependent care for meeting attendees.
The Foundation Committee is in discussions with the JFP Management
Committee around impacts of the move towards open access, and how
the Foundation can help support authors publishing in the journal,
especially authors in countries with developing economies. Other
exciting opportunities are also under discussion, and you'll hear more
about them in the future.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. Bylaw changes proposed
earlier this year will formally include the council in the fabric of IAFP
in the future to continue in perpetuity their meaningful work. In their
less than 2 years, they've provided critical insights to the Executive
Board that will allow us to continue to expand IAFP in a cohesive and
inclusive manner. The council's membership deserves our thanks now,
especially as the first set of members rotate off the committee. Expect to
hear more about this meaningful work going forward.
I write this on the eve of the IAFP 2022 Annual Meeting, quite
literally from a hotel room in Pittsburgh, a couple of days before
most of you arrive, and technically before I've become president. I
give my heartfelt thanks to Ruth Petran and the other current and
previous members of the board for their support and mentorship. This
is truly a team effort, and I'm so grateful to be part of such a strong
and supportive team. I may be tired of being resilient but I'm grateful
for our new perspective. Please reach out any time with concerns or
suggestions you may have. I want to hear them!
literally from a hotel room in Pittsburgh, a couple of days before
most of you arrive, and technically before I've become president. I
give my heartfelt thanks to Ruth Petran and the other current and
previous members of the board for their support and mentorship. This
is truly a team effort, and I'm so grateful to be part of such a strong
and supportive team. I may be tired of being resilient but I'm grateful
for our new perspective. Please reach out any time with concerns or
suggestions you may have. I want to hear them!
earlier this year will formally include the council in the fabric of IAFP
in the future to continue in perpetuity their meaningful work. In their
less than 2 years, they've provided critical insights to the Executive
Board that will allow us to continue to expand IAFP in a cohesive and
inclusive manner. The council's membership deserves our thanks now,
especially as the first set of members rotate off the committee. Expect to
hear more about this meaningful work going forward.
I write this on the eve of the IAFP 2022 Annual Meeting, quite
FROM YOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR David W. Tharp
FROM YOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR David W. Tharp
Michelle mentioned that she was
completing her article just prior to the
start up of IAFP 2022 in Pittsburgh. I
normally like to review the President's
column prior to writing my column, so
that means I can report on a few things
from IAFP 2022 in Pittsburgh. There
were more than 3,000 attendees this year
which puts us firmly at 79% of our 2019
attendance level. Exhibits also came in at
79% of our 2019 level and our sponsorship
made it to 85% of our 2019 level. It seems that our 80% target was right
where we needed to be for IAFP 2022!
The David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh was
a beautiful facility in a beautiful location, right on the Allegheny
River. There was ample space for all attendees to spread out and keep
proper distances, if desired. A good number of attendees wore masks
to protect themselves and their colleagues. We can be proud of the
accomplishment in holding this meeting successfully as we all work to
find out our comfort level after the pandemic. We are aware of some
who went home to feeling " like they had a cold; " then tested themselves
to find out they were positive. This is somewhat to be expected when
you have 3,000 people gather together. We hope that in each case the
symptoms remained minor and that each person is recovered by the
time of reading this column.
Michelle also mentioned many changes that are underway in
the coming year. They include the change of JFP to Open Access, new
Foundation initiatives and the advancement of the Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion Council. We will continue to keep you updated on each
of these efforts.
Next year in Toronto, we hope to see many of our international
attendees who were not able to be with us in Pittsburgh. Our international
attendance reached nearly 8% this year. That is about one-half
of our normal, international participation.
Did you know that you can pay to access recordings of Annual
Meeting presentations? This can be a great opportunity to listen in on
what you missed at IAFP 2022! All Annual Meeting attendees receive
free access to the recordings, and those not able to attend can pay $150
to listen and view the presentations.
Now as we look forward to IAFP 2023 in Toronto, we want to
encourage everyone to get out your passport and verify the expiration
date. You will need a passport to enter Canada and you may need a Visa
too, depending on specific requirements for entry into Canada from
your country. As we learned for IAFP 2022, passport renewals and Visa
applications are taking longer than they did pre-COVID, so you may
want to start any required application process now. It would be a shame
to miss IAFP 2023 in Toronto - such an international and diverse city!
We will hope to see you there.
360
Food Protection Trends
September/October
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2022

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